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The first round of state-mandated testing of more than 100,000 nursing home residents and staff for COVID-19 has been completed with more on the way as Pennsylvania continues with its response to control the spread of the deadly and contagious coronavirus.
				Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Tuesday said all 693 facilities have conducted the testing at least once in compliance with her order of June 8. It set a July 24 deadline for the nursing homes that have been hard hit by the virus. Testing will continue with the state providing resources at no cost.
				Completion of the initial testing moved the facilities closer to allowing visitors in to see family and loved ones as it was among the lengthy list of steps to be taken in order to reopen after restrictions were put in place in March.
				But during a press conference Levine said she could not provide a specific date for that to happen. Levine acknowledged the <a href="https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Guidance/SNF-Guidance.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">guidance</a> was in depth and more understandable to the facilities than someone from the general public who reads it on the PA DOH website.
				&ldquo;I think the public should call the facility. They well know where they are in terms of that schema and what it&rsquo;s going to take for them to be able to allow visitors,&rdquo; Levine said.
				It&rsquo;s important for patients and families to see each other, but protection against the coronavirus is paramount, Levine said.
				&ldquo;However we know how COVID-19 enters the facilities and it&rsquo;s primarily through asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic people and so we have to be just so careful about visitors entering because we don&rsquo;t want to introduce COVID-19 into the facilities that way,&rdquo; Levine said.
				In Luzerne County, 26 nursing and personal care homes reported 489 cases of COVID-19 among patients, 110 among employees, according to the most recent state data as Tuesday. The 129 COVID-19 deaths associated with the facilities accounted for 70 % of the 183 deaths countywide, according to PA DOH data.
				Levine qualified her answer to a question on whether the testing on this scale earlier would have saved lives.
				&ldquo;Yes, but it was impossible to do this type of testing in April, certainly in March, but in April and even May,&rdquo; Levine replied.
				More than 84,000 residents were tested, and when the staff members were added the total exceeded 100,000 for the initial round, Levine explained. Neither the supplies nor resources were available at the time, she added.
				The state has the testing capacity now, but it&rsquo;s being challenged with the shortage of chemicals and reagents to carry out the tests, Levine said.
				The plan is to retest nursing homes and then begin the process at all long-term care facilities, Levine said.

Initial test of Pa. nursing homes for COVID-19 done, more to come